


What You Wished For

by level_devil, panda_hiiro



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, In Which Rin Matsuoka Makes a Wish and Becomes a Magical Boy, M/M, Magical Boys, Not a PMMM Crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-16
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-20 23:06:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2446451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/level_devil/pseuds/level_devil, https://archiveofourown.org/users/panda_hiiro/pseuds/panda_hiiro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rin Matsuoka made a wish, once. </p>
<p>He didn't expect something would hear him. He certainly didn't expect the price he'd have to pay to have his wish granted. </p>
<p>When Sousuke is reunited with him, years later, he sets out to uncover the secret that Rin is hiding - but the truth is something he was never prepared for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blossoms on the Water

_14-03-31 20:34_

_Fr: Matsuoka Gou_

_Sousuke-kun. I know its been a while, but I heard you were back from Tokyo?_

 

_14-03-31 20:34_

_Fr: Matsuoka Gou_

_I have a favor to ask._

 

_14-03-31 20:35_

_Fr: Matsuoka Gou_

_Something’s wrong with onii-chan._

 

* * *

 

 The flowers were waiting for them when they came in.

Cherry blossoms, maybe a hundred petals or so drifting idly in the water, pale pink contrasted against the still blue of the pool - glittering, or so it seemed, in the morning light that dazzled the surface. Sousuke knelt and picked one of the flowers out, turning the thin petals between his fingers. The slight disturbance sent a ripple through the water, blossoms scattering from the wake. 

"Oh  _no_ ," Nitori moaned. "Not  _again_." 

The rest of the team was still filtering in for their Sunday practice, and they froze upon seeing the state of the pool. Confused whispers rose between the first years, while Nitori and the rest of the swim club veterans all wore looks of exasperated horror. 

"What is this?" Sousuke asked, staring at the flower in his hand. 

"Cherry blossoms. We saw them all the time last year. They'd just...show up, all over campus. They weren't always in the pool, but it happened often enough that the principal started blaming us for it," Nitori said, with a heavy sigh. "The coach is going to be so  _angry_ …it takes forever to get all of these flowers out." 

"But it's already May,” Sousuke said. "Where'd they come from?" 

"Who knows," Nitori said, "We never did figure it out. I thought maybe it was one of the seniors from last year, since it hadn't happened again so far, but…" 

"Hey," a harsh voice cut in, suddenly, echoing against the walls, "What's everyone standing around for?" 

Nitori jumped, flustered, and made a hurried attempt to collect himself. 

"M-Matsuoka-senpai! Sorry, it's just…well…the pool, you see…" 

Rin Matsuoka, third year student and captain of the Samezuka swim team, strode toward them. He had a cold, intimidating air, and as he walked forward the rest of the team parted to let him pass. He stopped at the pool's edge, hands shoved in his jacket pockets, and fixed a disgusted scowl at the blossoms decorating the water. 

"Well, don't just stand there," Rin said, "Let's get this mess cleaned up."

Sousuke couldn't help thinking that the Rin he'd known, that cheerful, hot-headed boy from elementary school, would have laughed to find such a sight. It was easier to picture him diving in, coming up with a big grin and flowers all over him, than to see the impassive glare shading his face. 

"I'm surprised," Sousuke said, moving to Rin's side. "Didn't you tell me once you wanted to swim in a pool full of cherry blossoms?" 

"I don't remember saying anything dumb like that." Rin shrugged. “But, who knows. I said a lot of messed up stuff when I was a kid. C'mon, we can't practice 'til we get this mess cleaned up." 

Sousuke stared as Rin turned away, already barking orders at the rest of the team. Not for the first time, he was hit with an unsettling sensation that something was wrong with his friend, though he couldn't say what. To the contrary, actually, Rin was doing well as far as Sousuke could tell: he was a well-respected captain of a powerful swim team, a national champion with nothing but a bright future ahead of him, and something akin to a force of nature in the water. 

But still…something just wasn't  _right_. 

It started that night before the term began, when Gou texted him unexpectedly. They’d chatted until late, switching between catching up and worrying over Rin. Sousuke assured Gou he would look into it once classes started, but five years was a long time to be apart. Their reunion that first day of class was warm, but there was something strange in Rin’s eyes when his gaze tracked from the windows and saw his old friend in the new role of transfer student. It looked, if Sousuke had to describe it, like fear. 

Sousuke spent that first month of classes swimming, studying, and observing Rin, but the other boy maintained a distance between them that he couldn’t breach. It nagged at him, and Sousuke let the thought linger in the back of his mind during practice, letting his eyes wander towards Rin. 

(And they did wander towards him, sometimes, maybe more frequently than Sousuke would care to admit.) 

Sousuke finished his laps and retired to the sidelines. He rolled his shoulder, carefully - it wasn't so bad today, which thankfully gave him one less thing to worry about for the moment - and turned his attention back to the others still in the pool. Rin stood on the side of the pool, coaching a group of first-years swimming breast stroke. He fit the role of captain well - orderly, efficient, appropriately strict. From time to time, though, his eyes would wander, gaze locked on some indistinct spot with an unusual sort of focus. 

"Captain!" One of the second-years came up with a clipboard in hand, pulling Rin away from his brief distraction. "Would you take a look at these times, please?" 

Rin mumbled something and took the clipboard, and that was when it hit Sousuke. 

The others all called him 'senpai' or 'captain.' No one called him 'Rin,' or afforded any sort of familiarity with him - what had happened to that outgoing kid that had made friends with everyone? It wasn't just the swim club, either - almost a month at Samezuka was enough to know that there wasn't anyone that Rin spent time with outside of class and practice (although he  _did_  disappear from their room, sometimes, late at night - Sousuke had yet to hear an explanation for that). Even Sousuke felt it, that invisible wall that Rin had constructed around himself. In every other way, Rin was fine - but where were his friends? 

Rin called an end to practice just before lunch. Sousuke caught up with him as the rest of the team dispersed toward the locker rooms. 

"Hey." Rin froze at the sound of his voice, turning back towards him. "Can we talk?" 

He stared at Sousuke a moment, unreadable hesitation his face, before he shrugged and said, "Sure. Let me get changed." 

 

* * *

 

A perfect summer afternoon waited for them when they walked outside, blue sky unbroken by clouds, a soft breeze cutting through the early summer heat. They stopped on the stairs outside one of the campus buildings, near the vending machine Sousuke had taken to frequenting. He paused, dropped a few yen in it, and punched the button for a soda.

"Hey," he called out to Rin, "You want one?" 

Rin settled on one of the steps, and glanced back at Sousuke.

"Sure." 

"Too bad," Sousuke said, with a grin. "It's sold out." 

"Then why'd you ask me? Tch..." 

"You wanna throw down for it?" 

"Whatever, it's just a drink," Rin said, looking away from him. 

"Seriously?" Sousuke sat next to him, popped the tab on the can, and took a drink. He offered it to Rin, but the other boy just waved his hand. "You used to be all about that. Remember? Any excuse for a showdown, you took it.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about?" Rin asked, abruptly. "Cause I've got better things to do." 

"No. I wanted to talk about what's going on with you." 

"What's going on with me?" Rin frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"You've changed." Sousuke looked away from Rin, gaze distant. "I can't figure it out. I thought coming here, it'd be like it used to be, but..." 

"I'm not interested in reminiscing about old times," Rin said, fixing a petulant scowl at the ground. "I thought you came here to  _swim_ , Sousuke." 

"I did." Sousuke looked back at him, an intense expression on his face. "But I want to swim with  _you_ , Rin." 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" 

"Gou called me, last year. Right before regionals," Sousuke said. "She told me you'd come home, but that you were different. Like she hardly knew you anymore."

"I was gone for most of five years, Sousuke." Rin scowled. "She  _doesn't_  know me anymore."

"But she's still your sister.” Sousuke sighed. “I went to see you swim, you know." Rin turned away from him, an uneasy look in his eyes before he averted them. "I saw you swim at regionals, and I understood what she meant. You just...weren't the same. Back when we were kids, you swam like you were fire. You were always laughing or crying -" Rin shot another dark, quick scowl at him, "but either way you always had your whole heart in it. What I saw last year, though...you were cold. Yeah, you were winning, but you were alone. You didn't even swim the relay." 

"Who gives a damn about the relay?" Rin snapped, still avoiding Sousuke's gaze. He stood up and paced away from him. " _You_  were the one that said it wasn't worth anything. Why are you so worked up about it now?"

"Because it was the most important thing to you when we were kids. Rin, you left in the middle of the school year because you wanted to swim that damn relay."

"Well, I know better now." Rin's tone was cold. "You can't rely on anyone else to make your wins for you."

Sousuke reached out and snagged Rin's arm in frustration, pulling him around so that he could look at his face.

"Rin. What happened to you? Did something happen in Australia?" His blunt question caught the other boy off guard. "Why did you give up swimming the relay?"

"Leave it alone, Sousuke!" Rin shook him off and started walking away. "It isn't any of your business."

“Gou thinks something happened, too.” He saw Rin flinch, but refused to look Sousuke in the eye. “She messaged me a few weeks ago. She’s worried.”

“Its none of her business, either.”

"You hit a wall, didn't you?"

Souske's words stopped Rin a second time. 

"That's what I thought, when you stopped writing to me. One of the last things you said to me was how tired you were, how hard it was. I thought you'd be gloating about wins in your next letter, but that letter never came. Eventually, I realized that you must have found your limit-"

"You don't know anything about my limits!" Rin turned, face flushed and angry. "Don't talk to me about  _my_  swimming. What about yours? Why the hell would you leave Tokyo to come back here to swim? And don't give me that bullshit line about wanting swim in your own way. You're ranked among the top in the nation - even if you have been scouted, why would you waste your time here?”

"Because, I want to swim the relay with you."

" _Ha?_ " Rin scowled still, but the unexpected response stalled his rising anger for the moment. "Don't fuck with me, Sousuke. You're the one who hated relays. Why the hell-"

"Because I was wrong! I never cared about relays before, but seeing you like that at regionals..." Sousuke clenched his fist, tightly. "Without that spark... it just didn't feel right. I thought if I came back to swim with you, I could..."

"Could  _what_?" Rin growled at him. "You have no idea what I've been through. Not in Australia, not since I - No." Rin cut himself off and shook his head. "You and Gou can both stay the hell out of my business. I don't need either of you meddling in my life,  _or_  my swimming!"

Rin turned abruptly and stormed away. Sousuke started after him, but stopped himself, and settled instead for watching him go. 

 

* * *

 

Monday. They sat apart in their classes, Sousuke stealing glances at Rin without ever catching his gaze. Rin was visibly distracted, his attention on something outside in the sunny courtyard. Even their teacher called him out on it, but Rin hardly seemed embarrassed when she made Rin stand and recite a passage of their text in English. Once he finished, Sousuke watched his attention slip outside once more.

He wanted to talk to Rin again after class, but the other boy slipped out of the classroom while two of their classmates cornered Sousuke about some trivial matter. He excused himself and chased after Rin, but he was gone, and no one in the halls seemed to have seen him.

"Dammit."

The sky was dark when Sousuke went out to the commons, a swirl of ominous clouds gathering overhead, threatening rain. An early summer storm - not unusual here, but it had come up faster than normal. The other students that usually lingered outside had already moved indoors, seeking shelter from the oncoming rain, but Sosuke kept walking. He had a bad feeling that Rin was outside somewhere. 

It wasn't until he turned onto the wooded path behind the pool building that he paused. A flicker of fear beat in his chest, a sudden chill crawling over his skin - but what reason was there for this sense of foreboding? There was nothing out of place, aside from the gathering storm, but still he couldn't shake it, this sense that _something_ was there, something very wrong. Instinct pulled at him, urging him to turn back. But he had yet to find Rin, and that same prickling sensation of dread also told him his friend was in danger.

_What will you do if you find him? He already told you not to bother him._

The whisper rose unbidden, echoing in the back of his mind, his own voice mixed with something unnamed and unfamiliar. He remembered Rin's snarled words, snapping at him not to meddle in his life or his swimming. But this was different, he had to find Rin, had to - 

_He doesn't need you._

A sudden pain twisted in Sousuke's chest, sharp and cruel. He tried to take a step forward and found himself unable to move. It was dark here, darker than it should have been, the shadows of the trees stretching out like twisted limbs clawing across the ground. A crack of thunder spilt the sky, and the rain finally began to fall in thick, heavy drops.

_He left you behind. He never needed you._

Something moved, nearby, an indiscernible form in the shadows. He couldn't see anything more than the darkness, shifting as if into a solid shape, writhing and rising like some dark cloud. It was moving towards him, but the sound in his head was worse - he covered his ears, as if that might shut the noise out, but it did no good.

_You are not needed. You were never needed._

The whisper rose into a dull roar in his ears, ringing like static. _Not needed. Not needed._ It was coming...no, not from him, from that thing before him, getting louder as it approached. He couldn't move - it was so close now, a few feet away - couldn't do anything but stare as the darkness reached out for him. Tendrils of shadow curled like outstretched fingers, almost tenderly in their movement, and Sousuke stopped breathing as they brushed against his face - 

" _Sousuke!_ "

An abrupt force knocked him back and he hit the ground hard. The impact of it was enough to shake him from his dazed paralysis, and he scrambled back frantically, reeling as he stumbled back to his feet. The shadow recoiled as well, and standing in front of it was... 

"Rin!"

His friend faced the shadow, half-crouched in a defensive position, clutching a bottle of water. Inexplicably, he looked ready to attack. 

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Rin scowled at Sousuke. "Run, you idiot!"

The moment of distraction allowed the shadow to attack. Rin shoved Sousuke out of its path again as long, black claws swiped out and barely missed them both. Sousuke stumbled back and Rin leapt away from him.

"Rin, what the hell is that?!"

"It's an _ayakashi_ , and it almost had you." Rin stood up in front of Sousuke, and gestured for him to run. "I told you to run! Get out of here!"

"A...what?"

In his moment of hesitation the shadow moved to attack again, wisps of shadow twisted together into a dark, sharp blade, arcing towards Rin. Sousuke saw it coming as if in slow motion - Rin was too far away, the shadow too fast, and Sousuke knew he'd be too late, but he reached for his friend anyway, calling his name in a desperate cry. 

" _Rin!_ "

The sudden light was blinding, brilliant red, sparkling whorls wrapping around Rin as the shadow creature made a hissing noise and recoiled from the brightness. Sousuke had to shield his eyes, but what he could see defied reason - Rin's school uniform melted away in a flash of hot light, replaced by a white, elaborate tail coat and boots. A storm of flowers swirled around him, delicate and dancing, and it wasn't until the light faded and they fell to the ground that Sousuke realized they were cherry blossoms. 

As the light faded, he stared at Rin, mouth agape. Rin stood confident and proud in front of him, and he tilted his head to give Sousuke a smug look, lips curling up to show a hint of his sharp grin over his shoulder. It jostled the small metal decoration in the ornament that had mysteriously appeared in his hair. 

It was a hint of the fiery Rin he remembered from childhood.

"Bet you've never seen anything like this," Rin said. "Stay back. I'll handle this thing." 

Then Rin opened the bottle of water and poured it into his hand. The liquid shimmered and dripped as it twisted into the shape of a long, clear blade. It looked ornamental and delicate, but Rin threw the empty bottle aside and held the weapon out toward the spirit. It screeched dangerously at them. 

"Let's get this over with. I've got a swim team to coach."

Rin moved fast. Faster than Sousuke expected. He lunged with the sword, slicing through the shadow obscuring the creature. It was shocking to see Rin this way, but he was clearly skilled, well-practiced at wielding the blade against his opponent. It fought back with wisps of darkness, grasping at Rin and his sword, but he fended off each attack, danced out its reach, and kept its attention from Sousuke.

Sousuke could hardly keep up, watching them - the shadow swiped and clawed, and Rin parried and spun out of it's way with the sort of strength and elegance Sousuke had only ever seen from him in the water. The creature hissed again and grabbed for him, but it reached too far - that was when Rin moved in, blade sliding in a smooth arc that sliced straight up through the shadow. There was a loud crack and flash of light, and the creature made a noise that Sousuke couldn't even begin to describe, some combination of a human scream and an animal cry before it dissipated into thin air. 

Slowly, the rain began to taper off, clouds moving on and the sky clearing above. With the sun shining again, Rin looked even more brilliant than before, light gleaming off the metal ornament in his hair and the white of his coat. He picked up the bottle he'd discarded and his sword lost form, reverting to plain water as it slid back inside. Rin capped it, and turned back towards Sousuke. 

"You okay?

"I. Uh." Sousuke stammered. "Yeah. I think so."

"So...well..." Rin scratched at the back of his head. "I guess this explains some stuff, huh?" 

"The hell do you mean? This doesn't explain anything! What is..." Sousuke gestured at Rin, vaguely. "What is this?" 

"What the hell does it look like, dumbass?"

Rin sighed, and when he shook his head a few stray cherry blossoms shifted loose and drifted to the ground. Sousuke watched their slow descent, and understood nothing.

"It's magic." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you're wondering what Rin's magical transformation looks like, it's a little like this: http://unstoppable-setsuna-f-seiei.tumblr.com/post/100294639476/illustration-for-what-you-wished-for-rin


	2. Fight in the Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby Rin battles a horde of spider spirits in Australia. Big warnings for gross bugs and precious baby tears.

_\- five years ago -_

 

Rin crept along slowly, sneakers crunching and cracking dry leaves on the forest floor. The sun was burning red and low, sinking beneath the horizon when he sneaked away from home, but here in the trees dusk swept in faster, shadows cloying and creeping out fast. It was hot for an April night, and he smacked at his neck and arms when mosquitos bit him. He counted himself lucky that in the growing dark he couldn't see just how big they were.

“Damn bugs…”

A year in, and Australia was still terrifying. Russel and Lori did what they could to make Rin more comfortable, but none of their efforts changed the fact that he  _had_  to sneak out like this. It was just easier to track  _ayakashi_  at dusk, prowling after their webs and tracks when they were most active hunting and feeding. When he’d taken on these powers at New Year’s, there had only been time to fight a few, small spirits in Japan, but Australia had proven to be bursting with challenges, even in such an urban setting. 

For a week now Rin had tracked a trail of sticky webs in the city. No one else seemed to notice when they walked through the anchor lines of a web stretched high between buildings, but Rin could see and feel them. He had watched a classmate walk right through one and continue on with the tendrils tearing off and trailing behind her, and shivered horribly at the sight. Just brushing the webs sent a chill down his spine, something he was quickly coming to recognize as a warning sense. Rin couldn’t imagine what getting tangled in them would feel like. In tracking the webs over a few days he found a powerful _ayakashi_ lurking in a forested area that edged the suburban neighborhood where he lived. It was dormant during the day, hidden, but at night he could feel it moving, its energy sending that prickling shiver across his skin, making his hair stand on end. Whatever it was felt powerful, and gross, and he fully intended to do away with it. 

_Click. Clickclick._

Rin froze, one sneakered foot off the ground. He strained to hear the faint sound again, trying to place it. 

' _Was that an animal? Or…?_ ’

Above him the sky still glowed with the remains of the day's light, but on the ground he was having difficulty seeing. Rin used the light of his phone screen again to cast some light and continued.

“If only flashlights didn't scare them off," he grumbled, clutching the device in one hand and a water bottle in the other. In Iwatobi he quickly learned that weaker _ayakashi_ ran from light, and that to fight them he needed to be quick and sneaky, and use the dark to his advantage. Even his phone screen's weak glow frightened off several small, benign forest spirits as he passed, their small, white forms vanishing into the trees and underbrush.

He was almost to the hollow where he had tracked the  _ayakashi_. It was near a stream, making the area unusually damp, which he counted in his favor. The land sloped down gently, and the trees grew out of thick under growth. Rin pushed and shoved to get through, having to brush aside more sticky tendrils from the spirit. His skin crawled every time he touched it, and he wiped his hands furiously on his shorts to get rid of the residue. Nothing stirred in the dark around him, except chirping night insects and the occasional, haunting call of a distant owl.

_Clickclick_.

Rin froze again at the sound. The night bugs' song died off, and it was utterly silent around him. He swallowed nervously and pressed the button to keep his phone lit, clutching his water bottle tightly. When several moments passed silently, he started walking again. 

_Click. Clickclickclick._

"-Ah!?"

It sounded close. Rin stumbled as he turned quickly, whipping his phone around in front of his body. He tripped backward into sticky webbing, and shivered, clapping a hand over his mouth to stifle a startled cry. His water bottle hit the ground. The web clung to his face and chest. He tugged and wiped, and gave up trying to get it out of his hair. Struggling out successfully with his phone and bottle both was a profound relief. He maneuvered more carefully after that, trying to evenly divide his attention between tracking the spirit and avoiding more of its webs.

A soft warbling sound nearby drew his attention, and Rin cautiously shone the phone over himself in an arc. Something was in the web stretching above him. Probably a bird - it was wound tightly in a bundle of white web, an indistinct sack that jiggled and strained to escape, making pitiful, distressed sounds. Heart racing, Rin drew back from it, and left it in the tangle. He could come back for it later.

_Crack!_

“ _Ahh!_ ”

A branch snapping under his foot startled Rin and he jumped, tripping back into another web. He flailed and pulled out of it. The tendrils clung to his leg and he lost his balance, tripped again, and fell. Rin cried out, rolling and crashing down the hill, through webs and bushes before finally dropping onto something soft and lumpy. 

“Oww…ow ow…”

Rin groaned and struggled up, peeling off sticky webbing and leaves. He was filthy and bruised, and his phone lay nearby, screen up and casting a weak glow. The web was thickest here, forming a canopy over the depression into which he’d fallen. He scrambled for the phone and turned, aiming the light out. In the glow he could see that his fall was broken by some kind of large white sack. Heart pounding, he inched closer, arm stretched out to hold the light as far as possible. The sack was made of webbing, the strained fibers ripped, probably from his fall. 

Something moved inside the sack.

Rin bit his lip. The surface rippled, and bulged, bursting open like a heavy water ballon. Dark, gangly spiders the size of dogs erupted out onto the forest floor. 

“ _Shiiit!!_ ”

Rin screamed as he scrambled back, phone slipping from his hand. Instead of finding the  _ayakashi_ , he had fallen straight into its nest. He realized he'd lost his water bottle somewhere in the rotting leaves when he fell, and at any moment the screen of his phone would shut off. Rin screamed and screamed, his voice echoing in the dark. The spiders chittered and climbed over each other, spilling out of the egg sack toward him, black bodies raised on a dozen spindly legs.

Then his cell phone light turned off.

The dark was blinding and absolute, no hint of the failing sun down here in the deep of the forest. He couldn't see them, but he could still  _hear_ them, the clicking noise of their legs as they scrambled over one another, seeking out fresh prey. He didn't scream again - he didn't even dare  _breathe._ His body trembled uncontrollably, his mind blank. _  
_

_What do I do now? What do I do?_

In the terrifying pitch, surrounded by the spider sounds, Rin finally gathered himself enough to call on his magic. Red light swirled up from the anklet hidden under his sock when he activated it. His shorts, t-shirt, and sneakers were replaced with his usual tail coat and boots, and the warm glow of light and cherry blossoms drove the spiders back long enough that he could focus and find his water bottle. Rin wiped tears from his face as he poured the cold salt water into his hand. It quickly took on the familiar shape of his sword. His small hands clutched the hilt tightly as he faced the leggy spirits, bolstered by the warm, now-familiar flow of his power.

“I… I’m not gonna hold back on you just ‘cause you're babies!"

One of the spirits on its own was big enough to kill him, and collectively Rin couldn't tell how many were churning in the dark. The egg sack seemed empty now, though he had only the pale glow of his magic to see. He sliced at the first spider brave enough to come close, sword neatly splitting it and releasing its energy with a sucking _pop_. The body shriveled and vanished, and the defeat was enough warning to hold the others back. Rin backed away up the slope, trying to gain higher ground and get out of the nest.

“Not so tough now, are you?”

Rin's victory smirk vanished at the angry, panicked shrieks of a much, much larger spirit. He scrambled the last few feet up from the hole and found the  _ayakashi_  he was hunting.

The spirit was enormous, body three times the size of his own, rows and rows of beady eyes gleaming in the dark, and far more than eight legs clawing at the ground as it approached, clicking and screaming. Its fangs were as long as and thicker than his own arms. Rin cowered down against the ground as it screamed again, clicking menacingly before scuttling over him and into the hole to its offspring. 

Rin took the opportunity to flee, his brief boost of courage quickly forgotten. He hadn't gotten far when a sticky glob of webbing smacked into his back and threw him to the ground, sticking him in place. Behind him the _ayakashi_ emerged from the hole, hissing and clicking a horrible beat. Rin screamed again. He couldn't help the hot tears that suddenly rolled down his cheeks. He shook, and it cost him precious seconds as he tried to saw through the web with his sword.

' _I'm gonna die._ “ His mind raced as he cut himself free. ‘ _I’ll never get the chance to swim with... with…_ ’

But the spider attacked and the thought was gone. Only Rin’s arms were free so he brought his sword up defensively. The spider’s legs clawed at him, raking through the earth and scratching his arms and clothes, while it snapped at his blade. Rin screamed again, crying and pushing back as hard as he could. The sword glowed brightly, warm crimson light, and the spider drew back from it. It screamed at him, venom dripping from its fangs. Rin stood on shaking legs, peeling himself out of the web and held out the glowing sword.

“I…I’ll fight you.” Rin drew himself up and tried to banish the quaver from his voice. “I  _will_  stop you!”

The spider screamed again, fangs vibrating with rage. Rin’s legs shook but he didn’t back down when the spider lunged. The fangs scraped his blade and Rin lost ground as the sheer weight and power of the  _ayakashi_  bore down on him. Boots digging into the soft ground, he grit his teeth and got in several strikes on the spider, leaving glowing red wounds in its exoskeleton. It backed off, preparing to attack again. This time when the spider lunged, Rin got lucky and angled the point of his sword up into its mouth. The spider’s own momentum drove the shining blade deeper, up into the soft tissue of its head, until the point pierced its exoskeleton. 

With a pained shriek, the spider heaved and began convulsing. Venom shot from its fangs as dark, ichorous blood flowed down the blade and trickled from its mouth. The spider jerked back, and dragged Rin along when he clung to the sword lodged in its head. The venom sizzled and cut through his jacket, burning his skin. Rin struggled to free his sword, and the spider collapsed in a twitching heap, no longer in control of its legs.

“Even  _that_  didn’t finish you?”

Rin’s chest heaved as he dragged in breaths, hands and arms shaking. He raised his sword, and the blade glowed as it arced down, slicing into the exoskeleton. The glowing incision wasn’t deep enough. He hacked and hacked, trying to ignore the creature’s agonized screaming, until he found its center. The blade shattered it with the familiar loud  _crack,_  and the shrieking  _ayakashi_ drew into itself, legs folding up and in until it vanished completely.

Panting, Rin staggered back. Blood rushed in his ears and he felt light-headed, but the  _ayakashi’_ s offspring screeched nervously nearby. He ran the back of his hand over his face, and grimaced at the black smears on his skin. 

The offspring scattered when he approached, but he managed to dispatch a good number of them. It was gruesome work, hacking into their still-soft exoskeletons, enduring the shrieks and dripping black blood. Utterly exhausted, the last thing Rin did was collect his phone from the nest and trudge to the stream he could feel nearby. Though not as potent as holy water from a temple back home, the stream’s natural source would be strong enough to wash away the  _ayakashi_ ’s lingering burn, and clean off some of the filth coating him.

When he was done and his magic faded, Rin crawled away and huddled against the base of a tree. The night sounds had returned, the bugs a constant hum of background noise filling the dark void around him. He scrubbed his hands over his face, then drew his knees up as he started to cry. Rin shook as he sobbed, hands over his face, overcome by the terror he had refused to face during the fight. 

" _S-Sousuke..._ "

In that moment, Rin desperately wanted, more than anything, to have his friend by his side - but home was more than an ocean away, and in the darkness of the forest Rin was very, very alone. 

 


	3. Going Hunting

"Let me get this straight. You're some kind of magical girl now?”

"Do I _look_ like a _girl_ , asshole?"

Rin sat on the edge of his bed, scowling, body twisted away from Sousuke. His clothes were back to his usual uniform, all traces of his transformation gone. Sousuke sat at his desk, facing Rin. His own uniform jacket hung on the back of the door drying, water dripping a steady beat as it fell to the floor.

"Alright, then what the hell was that?"

"I told you already, it's magic." Rin ran a hand through his hair. "Look, it's a long, complicated mess of a story, okay? 

"I'm listening," Sousuke said 

"You're not gonna let up until I tell you, are you?" Rin sighed and shot him an irritated look. "Alright, fine. You asked for it. 

Rin stood and went to the window. The night outside was clear and quiet, all traces of the spirit and its storm gone.

"I made a wish. It was when I came home for New Years, that first year I was gone." Rin glanced back at Sousuke briefly. "I didn't expect anything to actually listen, let alone answer some dumb kid's prayer. But... this power, what you saw, that was the price in exchange."

"So that was, what? Five years ago?" Rin nodded. "You've been doing this for _five years_? That's one hell of a price. What’d you wish for? To go to the Olympics?"

"None of your business." Rin scowled. "But no. I didn't wish for that. I don't want it if I can't earn it myself. You know me better than that. 

"Yeah. Sorry."

A heavy silence settled over the room. Rin had kept this secret hidden for five years - Sousuke thought back to their abrupt separation, the long absence signified by an empty mailbox. It all made a lot more sense now, in some ways.

“Is that all?" There was a sharp edge to Rin's voice. "No more questions? I'd really like to go shower after that fight.”

"Just a couple more. What about that shadow thing? The aya-something?"

" _Ayakashi_ ," Rin said. "They're spirits. Not all of them are malicious, but I fight the ones that are. That was the agreement. They're especially attracted to negative emotions - they latch on to people going through emotional stress and possess them." At last, Rin cracked a small smile. "So, you know, they really like hanging around schools." 

Sousuke thought back to the shadowy creature he'd seen earlier, the strange whisper that had echoed in his mind. Had that been the _ayakashi_ trying to possess him? He hadn't thought he'd been that upset, certainly not enough to attract a malicious spirit, but when it came to Rin...his emotions did tend to get out of control, sometimes.

"What happens to someone that gets possessed?" 

Rin's sudden humor faded, his mood clouding over and shutting down.

"They die." Rin held Sousuke's gaze. "That's why you need to leave this alone. I know what I'm doing."

"But, could they do that to you?"

"Not gonna happen." Rin sighed. His shoulders slumped, and he looked exhausted. "Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm gonna go grab that shower, okay? I'll be back in a few." 

Sousuke stood to follow him.

"Let me come with you."

Rin neither agreed nor argued with him, just simply gathered his things silently and headed out. Sousuke followed behind him.

The shower room was bright and warm, and empty for a change. Sousuke was thankful for that - Rin probably was, too, though his friend didn't say as much. They both undressed without a word, and took showers next to each other. For a while, only the sound of running water passed between them.

After a few moments Sousuke cast a glance over at Rin. It wasn't the first time they'd shared the bath, so there wasn't anything particularly exciting about it - hell, they saw each other in the pool all the time with not much more on -  but then...they weren't usually alone, either. Sousuke felt his face flush, not sure if it was from the rising steam or something else. Either way, Rin was too busy lathering shampoo into his hair to notice, so he let his gaze linger for a while.

Of course he'd noticed, before, how well Rin had grown up, his body fit and lean, all lithe and toned. He had a perfect swimmer's body - Sousuke had always assumed that was because he knew how to train himself, but now he wondered if chasing around after monsters for five years hadn't had a little something to do with that, too. The power in those arms - did it come just from swimming, or from also wielding a sword?

Oddly enough there were no scars on Rin's body, no marks of old wounds. If Rin was telling the truth, it seemed strange that a warrior's body, even a magical one, would be left unmarred - or was he really just that good? Was it because of his magic?

He couldn't help noticing, too, that Rin was still wearing his anklet. There wasn't much to it -  just a small, plain, dark band circling his ankle, nothing conspicuous at all. Now that he thought about it, though, Sousuke hadn't ever seen Rin without the piece of jewelry outside of practice. 

"Hey," Rin said, suddenly, casting an annoyed glance at him, "Keep to your eyes to yourself."

"Oh. Sorry." Sousuke glanced away, face hot at being caught staring. "So. Hey. That anklet you're wearing." 

"What about it?" 

"You've always got it on, don't you? Is it your magic item, or something?" He recalled the way Rin's magic had sparked and spiraled upward. 

“…It is,” he admitted once the soap was out of his hair and he could face Sousuke. “The anklet focuses the magic that I use. I have to keep it with me.”

“Really.” Sousuke risked shooting a smirk at Rin. “I would’ve expected something flashier from you.”

Rin flashed his middle finger at Sousuke, but made no other retort.

“Rin. What’d you wish for, really?”

Rin’s expression twisted. He averted his scowl from Sousuke.

“I said it’s none of your business.”

“Rin.” 

“What? It’s _private_.”

Sousuke smirked again.

“Why are you so embarrassed? Was it something really trivial?” Rin shot another dark look at him, and Sousuke continued. “Soda? Ice cream? New jammers?”

“Just _drop_ it.” Rin cut off his shower and reached for his towel. He turned away, his back facing Sousuke. “Listen, Sousuke. Don't ask any more questions about this. I don't intend to get you or anyone else involved, so it's best if you just...leave it alone.”

Rin left before Sousuke could work up a proper reply. Sousuke finished his shower alone, lingering for a long time under the hot water, reviewing their conversation while he massaged his shoulder. ‘Leave it alone,’ Rin had said - just how did he expect him to do that, after everything he’d seen? Magic and spirits and wishes - Sousuke had never considered himself a superstitious person, so as far as he’d ever known things like that didn’t exist. But after today…

He cut his shower off, dressed, and started a slow walk back to their room.

It was a small wonder Rin hadn't told anyone, though - as far as keeping secrets went, that was one hell of a thing to keep under wraps. Still, it hurt to know his friend hadn't confided in him - didn't want to even now, judging from the difficulty Sousuke was having getting answers out of Rin. They'd been so close, once...before Australia. Before _this_. Had the distance between them really grown so great that Rin couldn't trust him with something this important?

_'If he had told me, though, would I have believed him? Would anyone have believed something as crazy as that?'_

He paused outside their dorm room. Five years was a long time to go it alone. Was it possible that, just maybe, Rin had confided in someone? He glanced at the door across the hall, 210 - Rin's old room.

_'Maybe its time to talk to that Nitori kid.'_

 

* * *

 

"Nitori."

“Ah! Yamazaki-senpai!"

Nitori floundered momentarily in the water, then yanked off his cap and goggles, and pulled himself out.

"What can I do for you?"

"Do you have time to talk?" 

"Now?" Nitori glanced at Rin; the captain's attention was diverted, but not at the boys swimming in the pool. He was intently staring at a corner of the ceiling, like a cat fixated on some invisible prey. Nitori frowned, but nodded to Sousuke.

"Let's go." Sousuke tilted his head, directing Nitori across the pool deck and even farther from Rin. Nitori picked up a towel and dried off his hair along the way.

"What did you want to talk about, senpai?" 

"Rin."

There was a fast flash of fear on Nitori's face. It passed quickly, and though he tried to look neutral, the boy was clearly worried. 

"About Matsuoka-senpai?" 

"You were his roommate last year, right?" A nervous nod. "Did he ever do anything weird?"

"How do you ...mean?"

"Disappearing. Keeping odd hours." 

"I dont know... if I should discuss Matsuoka-senpai's privacy."

"He was sneaking around a lot, wasn't he?" Sousuke pressed. Nitori frowned, brows drawn in worry, but he nodded slightly. "Did you ever see, or hear anything strange?"

"No." Nitori shook his head. "Well, maybe..."

He looked hesitant to divulge anything, hands wringing his cap and goggles tightly. Though he and Rin obviously weren't close, Sousuke had to admire the kid’s loyalty to his captain.

"It's okay." Sousuke pitched his voice lower, tone concerned. "I'm worried about Rin, too. I'm not trying to get him in trouble."

Nitori's expression wavered between concern and fear, but finally he nodded.

"He would sneak out a lot. Always at night. Sometimes after dinner he would disappear, and not be home before I went to sleep. I don't know how he managed to break curfew so often without getting caught."

"Nothing else that you thought was weird?"

"He kept water under his bed. I saw it when we were cleaning. It wasn't drinking water, the bottles had silt in them. I... I opened one, once, when he was out late." Nitori's expression crashed, obviously upset at himself for the breach of privacy. "It was _salt water_. Like he'd filled them up at the beach and carried them home. I know it was wrong for me to snoop, but he was just acting so strangely. I was worried." He glanced across the room at Rin. "I still am." 

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Maybe." Nitori sighed. "Once, he was hurt. In the morning when I got up his hand was bandaged." Nitori gestured to his own right hand. "He had been out late. He kept out of the pool that day, and then the next day it was gone. He never told me how it happened, even though I asked. Just said it was an accident."

Sousuke considered that silently, and glanced over at Rin again. The captain was at least focused back on his team now, pacing along the edge of the pool and calling instruction to the first-years.

“You knew him before coming to Samezuka, right?” Nitori was watching Rin as well. Sousuke nodded. “Was he always like this?”

“No.” When Nitori looked up at him, Sousuke considered his words carefully before continuing. “He’s always been determined, but he used to be..."

He could still see it so clearly - the spark in Rin's eyes, the brightness that surrounded him. The Rin he saw now was cold, but he'd seen it again, during that magical transformation - a brief flash of the fire he remembered from childhood. Remembering it made Sousuke choke up, a sudden lump in throat constricting his voice. He shook his head.

"He's different now," he said quietly. "Something happened in the years we were apart."

“I hope that you can help him.” Nitori’s expression was hurt. “I tried, but he wouldn’t have it. Maybe, after so long abroad, what he really needed was an old friend.”

“Old friends, huh?” The comment sparked a thought so suddenly that Sousuke felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before now. “Did anyone from Iwatobi come visit him last year?”

“Iwatobi High? I don’t know… maybe? Yes.” Nitori nodded quickly. “Yes, once. A member of their swim team actually. He came looking for Rin. I don’t know what it was about, though.”

“Do you remember his name?”

“No. I never heard it, and Matsuoka-senpai didn’t talk about it.”

_‘Nanase?’_ Sousuke frowned. He thanked Nitori for his time, and the junior actually plucked up the nerve to extract a promise from Sousuke that, yes, he would keep him updated on the Rin situation. Nitori went back to the pool, and Sousuke joined Rin.

“So. What’s wrong with the ceiling?” He asked as casually as possible. Rin shot him a dirty look. “Something hiding up there?”

“Yeah,” Rin muttered. “It’s. You know.”

Sousuke scanned the ceiling, eyeing the beams carefully, but saw nothing.

“You can’t see it, dummy.” Rin bumped against his shoulder, scowling. A twinge of pain flared in the joint. “Stop staring up." 

“But you can.” Sousuke rubbed his shoulder. He tried to shrug it off, and trailed behind Rin when he walked along the lane. “What are you going to do about it?”

Rin stared at him for a moment, then abruptly turned away, directing his attention back to the boys in the pool. 

“No, no, what kind of stroke do you call that?" Rin called out, pointedly ignoring Sousuke. "Straighten up.” 

Sousuke watched him for a few minutes, then cast his gaze up at the ceiling one more time. He saw nothing, still, but whatever lurked there had caught Rin’s attention - which meant Sousuke could bet his friend would be sneaking out again that evening.

 

* * *

 

Around 8PM Rin put aside his reading, rolled off the bottom bunk, stretched, and pulled out his running shoes. Sousuke turned from his desk to watch. Rin kept his shoes under the bottom bunk, and when he stood again he was also holding a bottle of water.

“Going hunting?” 

Rin rolled his eyes.

“I’m going for a _run_.” 

“Hope you aren’t planning to drink that while running.” Sousuke nodded, indicating the murky water bottle. Rin ignored him. “You’re sneaking out again.” This time he got a glare, at least. Sousuke was quickly learning that Rin was beautifully adept at avoiding this subject, so he pressed the issue. “Have you been fighting those things every time you’ve gone out at night?” 

“ _Dammit_ , Sousuke. Mind your own business.”

Finally.

“You sneak out a lot.”

“Yeah, well.” Rin hesitated. “Its not always to fight. Some of them I can't stop the first time around. And sometimes, I really am just going for a fucking run.”

“Right,” Sousuke said. “Do you always go alone?”

“Yeah.” 

Sousuke propped his head up with one hand, elbow on his desk.

“Don’t magical girls usually work in teams?”

“You sure know a lot about goddamned magical girls,” Rin hissed. “For the last fucking time-“

“Sorry.” Sousuke grinned, and stood from his desk.” Still, isn't it dangerous, going out by yourself like that?"

“Yeah.” Rin ran a hand through his hair, then pulled it back into a tail. He smirked. "But it's no big deal. There's nothing around here that I can't handle. The spirits around this place are nothing. You should have seen the things I fought in Australia, you'd have pissed your pants."

"Rin." The other boy looked up at the serious tone of Sousuke's voice. "Are you really telling me you've been doing this on your own the whole time?"

"So what?" Rin frowned. "I don't need any help. Besides, Sousuke, I already told you - stay out of this. I don't want you to get involved." 

"Why not?" Sousuke scowled and moved to stand between Rin and the door. "Just because I don't have a flashy transformation sequence doesn't mean I - " 

"This isn't a _joke_!" Rin snarled, "You don't get it! These things _kill_ people! They could kill you!"

"All the more reason to let me help, then!"

"You, help? Hah!" Rin let out a sharp bark of laughter. "I've been fighting these things since I was twelve, Sousuke. What do you possibly think you could do to help me?" 

It was a good question. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, the shadow whispered again - _he doesn't need you_.

"I don't know. Maybe there's nothing I can do. But still, I..." His hands curled into fists at his sides, voice pitched up in desperation. "I can't let you go alone! So I'm coming with you, no matter what!"

"Shh, keep it down, will you? The guys next door will hear," Rin said. "You _can't_ come with me. It's too dangerous, and you'll just get in the way - "

"I won't. And it's not up to you," Sousuke said, crossing his arms across his chest with an air of finality. "I said I'm coming, so I'd like to see you try and stop me."

"You..." Rin made a loud, frustrated noise and dragged his hand across his face. He didn't say anything else, and for a moment Sousuke thought he'd try and argue again. "Alright. If you're gonna be that way about it, then fine. I'll show you I can handle this on my own. But listen, while we're out there, you have to do exactly what I tell you. Got it? If I say run, you run. No arguments."

"Alright," Sousuke said. "Whatever you say."

"Okay." Rin sighed. "Then let's go hunting."


	4. What Do They Mean to You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin gets an unexpected visitor from Iwatobi High.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another flashback, and we find out who Rin's visitor from Iwatobi was. There's another big bug in this chapter (not as bad as chapter 2, though), so if that kind of thing bothers you please be warned!

_\- one year ago -_  

“Matsuoka. Someone's asking for you."

“Ha?" Rin's arms ached as he pulled himself out of the pool and yanked his goggles off. His 100 meter set had been sloppy today - he'd spent most of last night chasing after an  _ayakashi_ , and he was still feeling the effects. He hadn’t even managed to finish the damn thing, which left him both tired and in a poor mood. “What do you mean?”

“Outside.” His teammate gestured to the pool hall’s main doors and glanced nervously in Captain Mikoshiba's direction. “Someone from Iwatobi, I think?”

“Che." Rin dried off. "What's my sister doing here?"  

“No, it's definitely not your sister. It's, um, a guy…anyway, he's waiting outside." 

Rin dressed quickly and went outside, mumbling curses to himself. His visitor was waiting for him - Rin recognized the brown and black of Iwatobi’s school uniform, but not the boy wearing it. 

“Are you Rin-chan-san?" 

“What?” Rin cocked his head and frowned at the strange greeting. Up close, he vaguely recognized the boy - the butterfly swimmer from his sister's team. “You. Did Gou send you over here?” 

“No.” The other boy adjusted his striking red glasses with an unusual flourish. “I came on my own behalf. There are things I would ask you.”

“What kind of things?” Rin eyed the other boy, running a quick, assessing gaze all the way to his sneakers and back to those red glasses. He was about Rin’s size, and looked non-threatening enough, but the encounter already had Rin on edge.

“I want you to tell me, in your own words, what happened between you and Haruka-senpai, and the others.”

“Huh?” Rin’s scowl depended. “What?” 

“Prior to your time in Australia.” Another twitch of his glasses. “When you swam the relay together.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about." 

“With Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai, and Nagisa-"

“I _said_ , I don't know what you're talking about." Rin cut him off with a sharp gesture of his hand. "Are you looking for someone else?" 

“You are the 'Rin-chan-san' they talk about, are you not?”

“Stop calling me that." Rin glared, shoulders tensing. “Look, you said before Australia? That was a long time ago. I was a little kid. You can’t expect me to remember everyone I swam against.”

“But you swam _with_ them, did you not?” 

"Maybe? I don't remember." Rin bristled, but refused to look away from the other's stare. "Why the hell are you asking, anyway?"

"Haruka-senpai insists that something very important happened between the two of you." He adjusted his glasses again, and even that small gesture irritated Rin. "Even though he says it's in the past, I know that it still troubles him greatly."

"If he's upset about losing that long ago, that's not my problem." Rin scuffed his foot against the ground and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Is that all?"

"' _Is that all?'_ ” The other boy gaped, openly, at Rin. “How can you say that?"

"Look, I don't remember whatever it is you're talking about. If it’s so important to him, why are you interrogating me?"

"Because he won't tell me!" His voice rose as a cloud moved overhead, casting a dark shadow over them. "None of them will talk about it, but its obviously affecting them!"

"Then that _really_ doesn't have anything to do with me," Rin muttered, his attention slipping. He recognized the slow chill creeping along his skin, sending goosebumps up his arms - an _ayakashi_ was nearby, no doubt roused by the Iwatobi kid’s upset. It had to be the one from last night - he really was off his game to have not noticed it sooner. "Dammit..."

"It has _everything_ to do with you!" 

 "-!?"

The Iwatobi kid was suddenly in his face, shoving him back. Rin stumbled, and his temper flared. The clouds shifted again, carrying with them a distant roll of thunder.  

"Whatever you're talking about obviously wasn't important enough for me to remember,” Rin snarled, “So get the hell off my case about it!"

"How can you say that when it meant so much to them?!" 

"I don't give a damn about that! Get out of my face!" Rin pushed him back and took a few steps away. A low buzzing sound filled his ears - they really had the attention of that spirit now. He needed to end this and get the kid away from Samezuka. "Whatever problem he has with me, you go back there and tell him to get the hell over it."

"But-"

"No, I'm done!" Rin cut him off again. "Don't bother me about this again." 

He turned, abruptly, signifying an end to their conversation. At least he'd remembered to grab his anklet when he'd changed to come outside - he focused energy there, just enough to attract the spirit's attention and divert it away from the Iwatobi boy. It'd be easy enough to draw it to some secluded place, finish it off, and be done with it - 

"…They still care about you." 

Rin paused when the other boy spoke up again, but didn't turn to face him. 

"For whatever reason, they still consider you a precious friend." The boy's voice was quiet, but firm. "It would hurt them greatly to know that you've apparently forgotten about that. For that reason, I won't tell them what you said here. However…if you ever interfere with Haruka-senpai or any of our team, I will not forgive you. Remember that." 

He waited until he heard the sound of the other boy's footsteps receding, then slammed his fist against the wall. The rough brick scraped against his hand painfully, and he grit his teeth.

_"Dammit!"_

A drop of cold water on his face distracted him. Rain - the _ayakashi_ was coming. The storm clouds moved overhead as Rin ran, feeling the spirit chase after him.

_‘That's right…come on, just try and get me. We’re gonna settle it this time.’_

He went for a detour that took him behind the cafeteria - dinner was still an hour off, there wouldn't be many people there yet. Power surged around him as he activated his transformation, a burst of cherry blossoms scattering to the ground. It was raining in earnest now, and the buzzing sound from before grew louder with the steady downpour. 

" _There_ you are," Rin said, as the spirit finally appeared.  

He hadn't gotten a good look at it last time, but in the daylight it looked like the largest, ugliest butterfly he had ever seen. Its body was about as long as Rin was tall, with a wingspan three times that wide. The buzzing noise scraped along Rin's bones, paralyzing him as the spirit hovered in place.

Then it attacked. 

Swooping down with an abrupt speed, it was all Rin could do to dodge it. He spun to attack and that was when he realized - he hadn't brought any water with him.  

"Shit! Why do these things always have to look like bugs?!"  

The giant insect wasn't letting up, beating at him with its powerful wings while it kept up that awful buzzing sound. Rin swerved and lost his footing, hitting the ground and narrowly avoiding a puddle of gathering rainwater. 

Rain…

_Wait. That's it._  

It wasn't as powerful as the ocean water he usually used, but it responded to his call nonetheless, the puddle twisting and rising, taking form as he pulled it to his hand. It wasn't enough to form his usual sword, but a dagger would work nicely - it had a short hilt and a curved blade that shimmered with the red glow of his magic. 

Rin shifted the knife in his hand, trying to balance its weight. He was unused to fighting like this, after preferring a sword for so long. He settled on a comfortable grip, tensing as he waited for the _ayakashi_ to round on him again. When it dove, Rin was ready, swiping the dagger up in a sharp arc that sliced through the monster's wing. It cried out as it crashed to the ground, beating its wings ineffectually. Rin made short work of it from there, and the skies cleared after the dark spirit disappeared, leaving no trace of the battle behind. Rin let his dagger lose form, the water evaporating as it dissolved. 

The fight was over, his transformation melting away as he turned back, but a heavy sense of dread still lingered over him. It wasn't another spirit - no, he couldn't sense anything else nearby - so what was it? That guy from Iwatobi? Was what he said really getting to him, after all? It didn't make sense - that guy meant nothing to him. Iwatobi meant nothing to him. Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa... they were just names. So why couldn't he get them out of his head? 

Rin's hands curled into fists. The nerve of that four-eyed bastard, barging in and making such a spectacle, enough to even draw an _ayakashi_ down - what the hell was he thinking? And what was worth getting so worked up over? 

He'd almost made it back to the natatorium when he heard the door open, and saw Nitori's head pop out. 

"Matsuoka-senpai!" The younger boy jogged out to meet him. "Is everything alright? Practice is almost over, and the captain was wondering what happened to you…" 

Rin stared past Nitori, back to the spot he'd argued with the Iwatobi boy. 

_"They still care about you."_

The words echoed, unbidden in his mind, stirring some unnameable ache in his chest. He shook his head, as if to clear it, and turned his attention back to Nitori. 

"Yeah," Rin said, "Everything's fine.”

 


End file.
